After the drama of an offseason that included the departure of franchise cornerstones Corbin Burnes and Craig Counsell, the Milwaukee Brewers have responded with a tremendous first half of the season.
The club is 61-45 — 7.0 games ahead of the second-place Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central and 11 games in front of the last-place Chicago Cubs. Milwaukee's 55 wins at the All-Star Break were tied for the most in franchise history before the All-Star Break.
Despite this success, the team could use some reinforcements to maintain their high level of play throughout the season. The team has already been busy in the trade market, acquiring starting pitcher Frankie Montas from the Cincinnati Reds and reliever Nick Mears from the Colorado Rockies. With those deals already done, here are two last-minute trades the Brewers must complete before the MLB trade deadline as Milwaukee looks to strengthen its squad for the playoff push.
Acquire Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty
An ailing Brewers staff has seen 16 pitchers start a game this season, with half of those players either on the IL or not rostered anymore. Overall, Milwaukee relievers have pitched the second-most innings of any MLB bullpen in 2024. Adding Aaron Civale and Frankie Montas in recent deals helps solidify a staff that includes Freddy Peralta, Colin Rea, and Tobias Myers. All three have been solid performers for the Brew Crew, but no one on this staff has filled the void at the top of the rotation left by co-aces Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes.
The Brewers lack that go-to pitcher they can lean on in the postseason. Jack Flaherty of the Detroit Tigers could provide that. Flaherty has been phenomenal for Detroit, bouncing back from a rough second half with the Baltimore Orioles in 2023. The right-hander has a 2.95 ERA, and his 2.93 expected ERA shows that his impressive performances are no fluke. The right-hander ranks in the 93rd percentile among MLB pitchers in strikeout and walk rates, sporting a superb 7-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The 28-year-old will be a free agent at the end of the year, and he will give the Brewers the high-level pitching they need for the postseason at a discounted price.
Trade for Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward
This year, Christian Yelich earned his first All-Star Game berth since 2019 and looked as close to his old self since fracturing his kneecap that season. But the Brewers outfielder landed on the IL for the second time in 2024 due to an ailing back and will be sidelined for another sizeable stretch. With their All-Star outfielder on the IL, the Brewers need another outfield bat. Jackson Chourio has been hot as of late, but it is difficult to see Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Blake Perkins making up for the gap in production — especially when it comes to hitting for power and driving in runs.
Much like pitching acquisition Nick Mears, Angels outfielder Ward has great expected numbers that are not reflected in his performance on the diamond. Ward is one of the unluckiest hitters in baseball and is amid a slump that has seen him hit just .172 over the last two months. But the Angels outfielder is in the 89th percentile in barrel rate, the 81st percentile in expected slugging, and the 95th percentile in chase rate (all per Baseball Savant). His BABIP of .276 over the last two seasons is ridiculously low for a player with a 43.1% hard-hit rate during that span.
The Brewers love going after players with great underlying numbers, and Taylor Ward could be a bargain if he breaks out of his prolonged slump.
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